Certain refrigerator appliances include an ice maker for producing ice. The ice maker can receive liquid water, and such liquid water can freeze within the ice maker to form ice. In particular, certain ice makers include a mold body that defines a plurality of cavities. The plurality of cavities can be filled with liquid water, and such liquid water can freeze within the plurality of cavities to form ice cubes.
During freezing, the ice cubes can adhere or stick to the mold body, and removing the ice cubes from the mold body can be difficult. Ice makers can include various mechanisms for assisting removal of ice cubes from the mold body. Certain ice makers include an ejector with a plurality of generally straight or linear tines. During rotation of the ejector, the tines sweep through the cavities of the mold body to scoop the ice cubes out of the cavities. Such ejectors generally work well with relatively large crescent shaped ice cubes, such as crescent shaped ice cubes having a length of two and one half inches, a width of about thirteen sixteenths of an inch and a height of about one inch. However, such ejectors can have difficulty removing relatively small crescent shaped ice cubes, such as crescent shaped ice cubes having a length of one and one half inches, a width of about one inch and a height of about half an inch.
During the ice formation process, a “volcano” defect can form on the ice cube due to expansion of liquid water within a partially frozen cube. In particular, expanding liquid water within the partially formed ice cube can form a hole at the ice cube's weakest point, generally a top center portion of the ice cube. Liquid water from within the partially formed ice cube can flow out of the hole and freeze to form the volcano defect. The size of the volcano defect varies with cube size and shape as well as a rate of freezing. For example, the volcano defect can be more pronounced with relatively small and/or thin ice cubes. During harvesting, the volcano defect can impact the ejector and interfere with rotation of the ejector and/or removal of ice cubes from the mold body.
Accordingly, an ice maker with features for assisting with harvesting of ice cubes would be useful. In particular, an ice maker with features for assisting with harvesting of relatively small crescent shaped ice cubes or ice cubes with volcano defects would be useful.